Polk sheriff warns about pressure washing scam

WINTER HAVEN (FOX 13) - Be careful if someone comes to your door and asks if you want work done at your house.

Three men in Polk County were arrested and are accused of conning seniors with repair scams.

"There wasn't any lettering on the vehicle. There wasn't any name on it, like they were working for a company, so that gave me second thoughts," said a woman who paid the suspects several hundred dollars to pressure wash her house on Alachua Drive in Winter Haven.

The woman was happy with their work, but was uncomfortable with them.

"There was just something there that told me, 'I don't want them in my house,'" she told FOX 13.

To avoid giving the men her name and bank information on a check, she paid them in cash to get rid of them as soon as possible. A few days later, all three - Anthony Barfield, Christopher Kiker and a 16-year-old working with them - were arrested by Polk County Sheriff's Office detectives.

It turns out the boss, Barfield, is an ex-con with outstanding warrants. They had no business license, permit or insurance, which means if someone got hurt on the job, the homeowner would have been responsible.

Polk Sheriff Grady Judd was especially disturbed by the fact that the men were involving a kid with their operation.

"They're traveling with one of their children, and they're teaching him the business, and he will be the next generation of raspert. He is a Jr. Raspert," said Judd.

Judd says you should always check out a person's or company's background before you hire them.